70171 Ultrasonic Showdown

70171_box

I’ve only bought a couple of sets in the Ultra Agents theme. I can’t say that I’m all that into the dark color schemes or the play oriented vehicles. I do like the villains though, so many bizarre and unique elements!

During a recent trip to the Lego Store, my son spied this set and I have to admit that I was immediately smitten by the brain-in-a-jar cyborg bad guy. How could I not want those elements? A second set went onto the pile for me.

70171_contents

Nothing too surprising in the box. No large plates, just a pair of un-numbered bags, a small sticker sheet and an instruction booklet. Time to dig in and get it built.

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The minifigs don’t disappoint. Curtis Bolt, the agent, has detailed printing on the torso and legs that should be able to see use in a variety of sci-fi characters. The mad scientist, Professor Brainstein, is a massive cyborg with four mechanical legs and some kind of brain helmet. The helmet element is pretty rad and I hope to see it get used in lots of cool models.

70171_dudes_alt

Curtis Bolt’s head has an alternate face, but the two expressions are just barely different. One is a smirk and the other a sneer. The Professor’s face is some kind of intense madness.

70171_built

The finished build is a handy little jet fighter. The six-shooters are mounted on swivels so that they can turn and fire in any direction and they provided a lot of extra ammunition (to replace those that will inevitably skitter under the refrigerator). Lots of great swoosh and play factor here for the kids.

For the adults, there are some fun build techniques too. The wings are mounted at a 45 degree angle using those A-shaped wedge plates, which seems to be ideal for creating a nice swept wing.

That triangular little drone has ‘app bricks’ in it that tie in to the Ultra Agents tablet game. It docks in behind the cockpit when not in use.

All in all, a fun little set. The price per piece isn’t amazing, but kids will love the play factor. For adults, the real issue here is how much you want the parts, but isn’t that always the case?

Keep building and enjoy!